I’m off to a reunion for my old Marine battery, but I’ll be back early evening to kick off all the festivities here. There will be live blogging and following the event a wrap-up show on Any Given Saturday. Stay tuned.
Update [2008-4-20 0:50:43 by Kid Nate]:
Live blogging by Kid Nate. I’m enjoying the PPV on Yahoo! — crystal clear video and audio, no problems at all.
Here we go…Anyone know who George Smith was? Ken Flo on the mic!
Mark Bocek vs. Mac Danzig
Bocek is now with Team Quest. We’ll see if that improves his game enough to hang with the well rounded TUF champ Danzig. Major 5″ reach advantage for Bocek. They come out fighting, dancing around before Bocek forces Danzig against the cage and gets a single. Bocek working from Danzig’s guard, at one point Mac gets a triangle and moves to an omaplata but Bocek breaks it up. Bocek going for an arm triangle. Bocek ground and pounding as the Canadian crowd chants his name. Danzig stands it up and reverses position. Danzig is punishing Bocek on his back from inside Bocek’s guard as the round ends. Hard to call this one.
Round 2: Danzig catches Bocek with a knee at range! What a knee. Bocek drops like a sack of concrete, Danzig jumps on him but Bocek recovers his wits. Danzig in side mount, throwing blows as Bocek works for a single. Elbows raining down on Bocek. Bocek works for another single. Danzig gets mount is teeing off. Danzig riding Bocek’s back, has him stretched out. Bocek gets back to his back, still taking punishment. Danzig back to back control, has hooks in, teeing off with hammer fists. Danzig stands up. Bocek throws a weak high kick as they circle. Bocek throwing and landing combo punches and going for a single. Danzig has wrist control and gets Bocek’s back. Bocek going for a heel hook as the round ends. Looks like a 10-8 round for Mac. the replay shows that Danzig landed that knee while Bocek was leaning in to push a jab.
Bocek has a big shiner on his left eye. Bocek backs Danzig up against the cage and goes for another single, and gets the takedown! In Danzig’s guard. Danzig working an omaplata, maybe a gogoplata, throwing elbows, Bocek busts out of it. Bocek with elbows, drags Danzig back to the center. Danzig stands up. They’re dirty boxing. Danzig lands a knee. Danzig pursuing a bleeding Bocek. Leg kick followed by a left that makes Bocek turn his back. The ref stops it to look at Bocek’s cut. Bocek is looking like Herman Munster. Danzig is unscathed. Danzig peppering him with jabs and dancing away. Danzig sweeps from the clinch, gets right to mount, then the back, has hooks in, going for a choke. He has it. Danzig by submission. How bout that Luke Thomas?
Charles McCarthy vs. Michael Bisping
Battle of the classic UK rock songs as McCarthy comes out to the Stones and Bisping comes out to the Clash. Bisping with a 4.5″ reach advantage and 3″ in height on Chainsaw. McCarthy throwing some sloppy haymakers that miss. Bisping coming in and out with jabs. Gets McCarthy up against the fence and lands a bunch of knees. McCarthy taunts him after the onslaught ends. Bisping is landing at will, to the body, to the head, knees to the face. McCarthy gets a SLAM! Into 1/2 guard. Bisping trying to get to the fence. McCarthy gets the Brit’s back, going for an arm. Bisping in trouble, trying to keep McCarthy stacked up on bottom so he can’t extend the lock. Bisping escapes. Back to the feet, more jabs, more knees and a high kick. Uppercuts and knees! Bisping is teeing off and McCarthy drops. Bisping trying to finish with GnP as the clock runs out. McCarthy is too hurt to continue. Bisping by TKO.
Nathan Quarry vs. Kalib Starnes
Starnes is 3″ taller but has NO reach advantage. Quarry looks very ripped. Starnes…not so much. Big bump from the crowd for Starnes. I wonder if they are testing the refs for steroids, could be a problem for this one. Quarry trying to cut off the Octagon from the get go. Quarry is chasing Starnes all over the cage. Now in the clinch with Quarry against the fence. Back to the center of the cage. Quarry still lunging after Starnes. Leg kicks from Quarry. Starnes slips on a puddle of blood, now they’re clinching again, Quarry with his back to the fence. Crowd is booing. They break out with Quarry throwing to the head and body. Quarry is still chasing Starnes all over the Octagon. Not impressed with Starnes here. I give this round four thumbs down. Boo-urns. Quarry 10-9.
Round 2: More of the same. More booing from the crowd. More chasing from Quarry. More running away by Starnes. Finally a leg kick from Kalib. Quarry answers with several of his own. A hard right lands for Quarry. More flurries ending in leg kicks. Starnes tries for a single, sweeps Quarry and lands some punches. Lets see more of that Starnes! Quarry’s leg kicks are adding up. Ken Flo is calling for a high kick, but I’m not sure Quarry is limber enough to do it. Quarry is a bit too tired to sprint after the elusive Starnes. Fans chanting BOOring. 10-9 for Quarry who gives the round the thumbs down.
Round 3: Starnes taking more leg kicks. Starnes grabs a leg kick but can’t hold it. Quarry chasing and battering. Jabs and leg kicks and uppercuts from Quarry. I hope we don’t see Starnes on the main card anymore. He’s dancing the clock away. Quarry is answering the old zen riddle, what’s the sound of one man fighting? Quarry going for the kill and mocking Starnes with a “running man” impression at 0:30. Clearly a win for Quarry. Awful awful performance from Starnes. Not what I’m paying $44.95 to see. “Why aren’t you fighting faggot” says Starnes to someone maybe in Quarry’s corner. Pretty weak Kalib. Pretty fucking weak. The Canadians are showering Starnes with richly deserved boos and cheering for Quarry as he takes an easy decision. Lets not see Starnes back, please Joe Silva. One judge scores it 30-24.
Travis Lutter vs. Rich Franklin
Lutter trying to gin up some heat in the pre-fight buildup with accusations of Franklin ducking him. Matt Hume in Franklin’s corner along with Jorge Gurgel. Serious staredown. Franklin in the vintage ugly pink shorts. Lutter forcing a clinch, Franklin catches him coming in. Lutter forces it to the clinch. Franklin fighting for wrist control. Lutter gets Franklin’s back standing, forces him to the ground, trying to get the hooks in, now in side mount. Franklin gets back to 1/2 guard. Lutter gets mount, Franklin gets underhook and back to full guard. Lutter passes to 1/2 guard. Lutter’s JJ is scary but Franklin is defending gamely. Lutter gets to mount. Lutter gets an arm, Franklin spins out! Nice moves. Lutter on his back, Franklin kicking, backs away to get the fight back to the feet. Franklin sprawling away from a Lutter shoot. Landing some ground and pound, Lutter pushing the single leg forces Franklin to the cage, working for a double. I’d have to score it 10-9 for Lutter. Franklin did great to escape that arm bar.
Round 2: They clinch right way. Franklin landing knees, stuffs a shoot from Lutter. And again Franklin stuffs a shoot, lands a high kick, then goes for some ground and pound but Lutter goes for a heel. Lutter is one dimensional, but very scary. Franklin escapes, they’re back to their feet. Franklin stuffs a shoot and KNEES Lutter. Lutter is gassed and eating punches. Uppercuts from Franklin, knees. Lutter drops for an ankle, Franklin punching the head of the downed man. Lutter crawling on the ground with an empty gas tank. Franklin is teeing off. Drops Lutter and the ref steps in. Good job by Franklin to survive Lutter’s first round onslaught.
Georges St. Pierre vs. Matt Serra
Lots of real heat for the championship fight. Serra can certainly sell a fight. Big roar from the crowd when they see GSP entering the arena. He seems very focused as he walks through the crowd to the arena. I really wish UFC had more PRIDE like entrances sometimes. The Crow is wearing a suit in GSP’s entourage. Serra enjoys the boos as he struts to the Octagon. 8″ reach advantage for GSP but it didn’t help him last time. Yves Lavigne is the ref (I miss Big John). Cecil Peoples is NOT a judge tonight. BOOS for Serra from the Montreal crowd. GSP is all business at the stare down.
Round One: GSP with a quick takedown. to 1/2 guard. Working small punches as Serra fights to get full guard but GSP holds on to 1/2. Now Serra gets guard and GSP passes back to 1/2 guard. Big left to the head from GSP. Serra back to full guard. They’re trading elbows, GSP lands a mean combo to the head. The beat down is coming. GSP is grinding Serra down. GSP passes to side mount. Serra gives up his back. Serra goes for a kneebar, fails, Serra fighting to get to his feet. GSP is riding Serra and feeding him lots of punches. Now they’re on their feet in the middle of the Octagon. Serra jabbing. GSP with a superman punch/kick combo and gets another takedown. Immediately gets past Serra’s guard and is beating Serra as the bell rings. 10-8 for GSP. He’s utterly baffled and dominated Serra in the opening round.
Round 2: GSP grabs a kick and gets the takedown. Has Serra up against the fence, Serra tries to use an underhook to get back to his feet. Nothing doing. Serra fights back to his feet and escapes a single leg. Back to the feet. Serra lands a head kick. Serra throwing hooks. GSP throws a spinning back kick. GSP landing jabs, gets another double leg. Throwing from Serra’s guard, passes, landing punches from Serra’s back. Serra back to guard. GSP landing big shots from the top. Getting Serra turtled up and kneeing his ribs. Serra rolls back to guard. GSP stacks the guard and passes to 1/2 and to side mount. Serra rolls, takes more knees to the ribs. Serra is NOT looking like the better jiu jitsu fighter here. Serra roling, eating shots and its over! Knees to the ribs are too much for Serra. This is the GSP we all knew existed. Bring on Jon Fitch. Bring on B.J. Penn. Bring on Anderson Silva?
Kuniyoshi Hironaka vs. Jonathan Goulet
This should be a good one from two proven veterans, both of whom have had some bad luck in their recent UFC outings. I expect the loser won’t be back. Hironaka comes out to some truly wack music. Goulet comes out in a hockey jersey. Lol. Both fighters living up to national stereotypes.
Hironaka tries for a takedown immediately, fails. Goulet misses a headkick. Hironaka shoots again, Goulet counters with knees that score. Hironaka hangs on to the clinch. The ref breaks them up. Goulet lands some stiff jabs, throws combinations, leg kicks. Stuffs a takedown, counters with a knee. Hironaka snaps Goulet’s head back with a counter. Superman punch and front kick from Goulet. Snapping leg kick from Goulet. Hironaka shoots, Goulet stuffs with a whizzer and follows with a knee. Damn I can’t believe I picked Hironaka. Hironaka drops him with a left! Holy crap. Hironaka ground and pounding trying to finish. I love this kid. Hironaka gets mount as the crowd chants Goulet. Trying for an arm lock. Goulet gets guard, trying to get his feet. Hironaka landing some shots as the bell rings. Very hard to score that round. Great great round. It was a short left right on the button that dropped Goulet. 10-9 for Hironaka based on the knock down.
Round 2: Goulet with a huge shiner on his right eye. Hironaka throwing punches and moving away. Goulet with a high kick and a superman elbow. Left from Hironaka. Hironaka catches Goulet with a left that crumples Goulet briefly. Superman punch from Goulet. Goulet knocks him down with an elbow, Goulet follows up with knees and KOs a stunned Hironaka with a punch. Great fight. Excellent back and forth from both fighters. Good night fight fans.
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